Walkabout: Sand Dune Trail at West Beach

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Location: Whidbey Island, Island County.

Length: 1.2 mile loop.

Level of difficulty: Level paved trail.

Setting: This path through beach dunes and wind-whipped forest offers an interesting walk just off West Beach in Deception Pass State Park. From this popular park's sand-and-cobble beach, you can look west through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with the Olympic Mountains looming to the southwest and the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station visible to the south.

Access the dune trail at the south end of the parking lot, where it passes among low dunes stabilized by several types of vegetation (a large interpretive sign identifies various plant types along the trail). The dunes keep beach sand from blowing into and clogging adjacent Cranberry Lake. The path then enters a forest of spruce, fir, cedar and alder, the conifers spookily hung with lichen, an organism composed of fungi and algae living together in a symbiotic relationship.

Highlights: To extend your walk, follow short trails north of the parking lot that cross West Point, a rocky promontory. The far side of the point offers protection from the wind and views of the Deception Pass bridge, and the trails continue to nearby North Beach. Congress designated the property in 1925 for public recreation, and in the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) created roads, trails, buildings and bridges in the park. Pick up a guide to the park's trails at the entrance kiosk for a dollar (staffed only from noon-1:00 p.m. during the winter).

Facilities: Restrooms and water.

Restrictions: Pets on leash. Please remain on the trail (off the dune vegetation). Annual or daily ($50/$5) parking permit required in all state parks.

Directions: From Interstate 5 north of Seattle, take Exit 230 and head west on Highway 20. After 12 miles, cross the bridge to Fidalgo Island, and in a few more miles, turn left to follow Highway 20 south to Whidbey Island. One mile after crossing over the Deception Pass bridge, turn right into the main park entrance, and follow signs to West Beach.
 
For more information: 360-675-2417 or www.parks.wa.gov/parks/

— Cathy McDonald, Special to The Seattle Times

Cathy McDonald is co-author with Stephen Whitney of "Nature Walks In and Around Seattle" (The Mountaineers, 1997).